Evo 2018 preview: The best in the world fight for the first Evo championship in Dragon Ball FighterZ

As the most popular game at Evo 2018, Dragon Ball FighterZ has a large field of competitors all gunning for the prize. Despite the large number of competitors however, there is still a list of a select few players who are expected to go far — or even win the tournament outright.

During Dragon Ball FighterZ‘s first few months, there were two players who were dominating headlines. CO|GO1, and Echo Fox|Sonic Fox. Both players dominated tournaments in their respective regions, leaving people waiting breathless in anticipation for their inevitable confrontation. Even after said confrontation happened, this hasn’t stopped the story around them: both have fought each other multiple times in the past few months, usually in the later stages of tournaments. With both attending Evo, it’s likely that we’ll see another chapter in this story unfold in Las Vegas.

Of course, aside from Sonic Fox and GO1, other players have started to make their names as dominant forces in Dragon Ball FighterZ. In fact, a number of these players were already doing strong early on, while the rivalry between the former two was hogging the spotlight. Looking back at some of the earlier tournaments (such as Final Round 2018, the same tournament where GO1 and Sonic Fox first met), we can see many players who’ve continued to thrive and do well in the game over the past few months.

Joining GO1 from Cyclops Athlete Gaming, we have Dogura and Fenriti. Both of these players have tended to finish in the top 8 of most tournament they attend. Fenriti even edged out GO1 during the Summit of Power, taking third over the latter’s fourth. Meanwhile, Dogura is no stranger to the Evo main stage, placing 2nd at BlazBlue Chrono Phantasma back in 2014.

There are other players from Japan coming in aside from the Cyclops squad. Arguably the player with the most momentum after his win at CEO 2018 is Gods Garden Pro’s Kazunoko. Already considered one of the best players in a number of games, Kazunoko achieved multiple top 8 finishes in the past months, before finally taking the win at CEO 2018 (creating a new generation of Yamcha players in the process).

Other Japanese players to look out for include Echo Fox’s Momochi, who — while more known for playing Street Fighter — has also made top 8 in Dragon Ball FighterZ tournaments. PONOS’ Moke is also another player who’s been doing well in the game, consistently finishing in the top 8 of tournaments (and still staying in the top 16 most of the time he doesn’t).

Of course, there are non-Japanese players (aside from Sonic Fox) are big threats as well. Panda Global’s Nakkiel was one of the early favorites coming into the game at launch, eventually earning himself an invite to last month’s Summit of Power. Speaking of the Summit of Power, many have also seen the event as the beginning of the rise of NRG’s HookGangGod. This victory was a long time coming though, with Hook already having a number of good finishes — including 5th place at Combo Breaker 2018.

Other American players include Evil Geniuses’ NYChrisG. While more known for the Marvel Vs. series, Chris has done well in Dragon Ball FighterZ, albeit not as consistently as some other players here. Other Marvel players who’ve made the transition include UYU’s Cloud805 and Echo Fox’s Punk and dekillsage, all who’ve also done well in the game. Speaking of which, any list of former Marvel player’s who’ve crossed over is incomplete without Beastcoast’s ApologyMan. While he was always just on the cusp of greatness in Marvel (always overshadowed by the “gods” of those games), it seems that he’s found much better footing in Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Speaking of players coming from other games, it would be remiss not to mention Team SoloMid’s Leffen. While known primarily as a Super Smash Bros. player, Leffen has dedicated himself to Dragon Ball FighterZ and has the results to show it, most recently being top 16 finishes at Combo Breaker 2018, CEO 2018, and the Summit of Power.

Of course, with such a large field of competitors, it would be impossible to try to cover everyone worth watching. Aside from those mentioned above, there are numerous other players from different national and regional communities. The beauty of an open tournament such as Evo is that anyone can come in, and through their own skill and effort, make a name for themselves. This is even more true with a game as new and with as a large a player base as Dragon Ball FighterZ!

Will Sonic Fox and GO1 continue their epic story and go at it at grand finals? Will HookGangGod, Kazunoko, Dogura, Fenriti, or the like overtake the former two and claim the title of champion? Or will a new player carve out the beginning of their own legend? Find out more when Evo 2018 rolls around this weekend.

Shoryuken's long time news hound. When not writing for SRK's front page, D3v spends part of his time helping run tournaments in the Philippines, including the country's biggest fighting game event, Manila Cup.